Meet New Carpinteria Councilmember Alarcon

This year the Chamber is sitting down with recently elected officials to ask them about their business-related policy platform.

As the newest member of the Carpinteria City Council, I am eager to work with the city and our community to address our challenges and develop solutions. It is no surprise that Carpinteria has been impacted by the pandemic. Many of our residents and small businesses continue to struggle. As a way to support our business community, the city must continue to seek state and federal funding to expand our Small Business Restart program, putting vital dollars into the hands of businesses.

I support the measures the city has set forth, for example, business expansion into the public right of way through completion of a self-certification process.  I understand how vital our business community is, and I will continue to explore ways to streamline our permitting process in support of business creation and retention. Additionally, collaborating with the Chamber and city committees, such as Downtown “T” to develop targeted strategies that are unique to our business community.

I would also like to see the expansion of the Host Kiosk, possibly installing a revolving interaction information screen. The Kiosk use could be reimagined to include regular Chamber hours, local business information, and more.

As we continue to work through the challenges presented by the pandemic, I encourage community members to participate in the upcoming 2021 annual work plan meeting. This meeting gives community members the opportunity to learn about upcoming projects and priorities and express input.

Natalia Alarcon attended the University of California Santa Barbara and obtained a B.A. in History. She earned a master’s degree at Antioch University of Santa Barbara in Clinical Psychology and obtained her License as a Psychotherapist and has founded a small private practice. She is a bilingual Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and nonprofit professional. Natalia is an active board member of Parents for Aliso and a board member of the Rental Housing Mediation Program.